More Than a Grand Canyon | America's National Parks | National Geographic

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The Kaibab Plateau is home to one of the last ponderosa pine forests in the southwest. It's a unique habitat, protected by Grand Canyon National Park, and a spectacle to behold.

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Less than 5% of the 6 million annual visitors to the park make it beyond the rim.

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For most, a trip to a scenic overlook is enough to get a taste of the beauty in this magic place.

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But for those with a sense of adventure, traveling into the heart of the park can be quite the thrill.

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A Grand Canyon rafting trip is the adventure of a lifetime. It can take two weeks to raft its entire length. Entrusting their fate to the river, paddlers navigate their way through at least 80 big water rapids, including the infamous Lava Falls.

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The waters of the Colorado are a rafters' mecca—but it's best not to fall in.

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The Grand Canyon Pink Rattlesnake—only found in this region, it's perfectly adapted to canyon life.

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While the river is a barrier to some, for him, it's an opportunity.

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Swimming gives him the freedom to search for new hunting grounds. His ability to scour more of the park gives Grand Canyon its own natural form of rodent control. Spring is a common season to spot rattlesnakes.

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